Toronto Star Public Editor: We need more women’s voices in the news

The voices of women matter. But the fact is they are not represented equally in the news. Look at any study in recent years of who reports and writes the news, who is quoted as an authority in the news, and whose views and expertise are amplified in the opinion pages across our country and you will see there is still a significant gender gap. In the media’s depiction of the world, it is, sadly, still a man’s world.

“In Canadian news and information, men’s voices still outnumber women more than 2 to 1,” states an infographic released last month by Informed Opinions, an Ottawa-based, non-profit organization dedicated to “amplifying women’s voices for a more democratic Canada.”

J-Source and ProjetJ are publications of the Canadian Journalism Project, a venture among post-secondary journalism schools and programs across Canada, led by Ryerson University, Université Laval and Carleton University and supported by a group of donors.